Conventionally, a line guide includes a frame mounted on an outer surface of a rod, and a guide ring secured on the frame for admitting a line. As disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-136839 (the “'839 Publication”), the frame is integrally formed by pressing a metallic plate made of stainless steel, titanium, etc. and the frame integrally includes a ring retainer retaining the guide ring for admitting a line and a fixing portion to be fixed on the outer surface of the rod. Recently, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-110007, it has been known to form a frame of a fiber-reinforced resin material.
As disclosed in the '839 Publication, a fishing line guide generally has a forwardly-slanted structure (60 to 45°) so as to readily release a fishing line snagged thereon.
The fixing portion of the line guide is narrower toward the rod tip so as to conform to the rod diameter. Therefore, the connecting portion between the fixing portion and the ring retainer significantly protrudes in a widthwise direction, making it difficult to release a line snagged thereon in a loop. Particularly in boat fishing, when a line is snagged on any one of line guides mounted on the outer surface of a rod at an interval, the line is hard to be released even with the rod tip pointed down and have to be reached by a hand for release.
The reason that a line is snagged persistently on a line guide in a loop resides in that, at the connecting portion between the fixing portion of the line guide and the ring retainer, the ring retainer significantly protrudes in the widthwise direction (in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rod). Additionally, the portion connecting the ring retainer formed tabularly and the fixing portion fixed on the surface of the rod (hereinafter referred to as “connecting portion”) is usually formed of a short curved surface for manufacturing reasons. A line is often snagged on such a curved surface (the base of the ring retainer) and stopped at the border with the guide ring retainer protruding ahead of the curved surface, or more specifically, at an inflection point between the connecting portion and the guide ring retainer. Thus, the line becomes unreleasable.